


The Basis of Recovery

by danehemmings



Series: Beautiful Morning, Ugly Afternoon [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:52:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4931257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danehemmings/pseuds/danehemmings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Minato tries to help. Obito thinks it might be working.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Basis of Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after Team Bonding. I've tagged it as Kakashi/Obito, because that's my endgame, but I think they are both too young for there to be anything more than a friendship at this point. In case anyone was wondering, I imagine Obito, Kakashi, and Rin to be around 13 here.

Kakashi has gotten really annoying. Obito was always irritated by him to begin with, so the sudden mandatory lunches and surprise visits just add to it. 

Yesterday as soon as they got back from their mission (protecting some paranoid merchant on his was to a village on the outskirts of the land of Wind) Kakashi pulled Obito aside and demanded that they go out for dinner. It was an entire extra hour spent with that condescending moron. Obito was glad that Kakashi gave up the whole bully act, but friendly- Kakashi was almost just as bad.

Almost, because Rin more often than not would come along on the impromptu excursions. Everyday she would ask him how he was feeling, and if he had any injuries that she could help with. He always told her he was fine, and he always said he was injury free, both lies, but he doesn't feel that bad about it. He realizes that its more than likely that Rin is hanging around so much because Kakashi is there. The idea that she loves Kakashi, and won't ever love him, doesn't change Obito's feelings for her. He tells himself that as long as she's happy, he'll be okay.

But a lot of times he's not okay. Kakashi's surprise visits mean that he sometimes will knock on Obito's door while his father is in the midst of one of his angry fits. Obito ignores the knocking, and his father, too angry to stop hitting and kicking, puts even more strength into his blows. 

Obito shows up to the mandatory breakfast or training the morning after days like those, bruises covered, and pain hidden by fake smiles. Kakashi always gives him a sad look, and Obito has to avoid his gaze, because he can't forget the fact that Kakashi knows about his father, and that terrifies him.

~

Obito trudges up the steps to his bedroom, hands shaking, and chest heaving. 

His father had failed his mission today. He was going to travel to Suna, meaning he would have been gone at least six days, but he had shown up drunk, and his comrades sent him to the Third, who sent him home. He found Obito setting places at their kitchen table. Obito had been excited to have the house to himself, and invited his teammates to dinner. His father had been less than pleased.

At the top of the steps, Obito pauses. He can see into his room, and notices the window open. He doesn't remember opening it. He tells himself its nothing, walks the few feet into his room and shuts the door, before seeing Kakashi sitting on his bed.

His first instinct is to make up some sort of excuse. There's blood all over his shirt from when his father made his nose bleed with a good punch. He thinks maybe his neck is bruising from when his father wrapped his hands around it and squeezed until Obito nearly passed out from lack of oxygen. Usually his father is careful to avoid hitting visible areas, but he had been particularly angry tonight. Obito is sure he is covered nearly everywhere in blood and bruises, and his mind is racing with a million explanations, something, anything to tell Kakashi so he wouldn't know where they really came from.

The quick intake of breath as Kakashi got a good look at him pushes the excuses out from his mouth, “I ran into a gang, you know the red haired guy from the Academy, he has some friends in high places, you know, so I wasn't about to fight back and get into some real trouble, and then I fell down the stairs just now, and, uh, yeah. That's why I canceled dinner.”

Unimpressed grossly understates the look Kakashi gives him. But it quickly softens into something else as he says, “I know what happened, Obito. Remember? I'm here to talk, if you need to.”

Obito swallows, feels like the panic that rises is going to swallow him whole. He knows Kakashi knows. Its just that the very idea of acknowledging aloud what his father does makes him so frightened that he feels like he's losing his mind. 

The way Kakashi is staring at him right now, pity in his eyes as he waits patiently for a response, that scares Obito too. So he looks at the open window instead as he says, “I don't need to talk. You don't have to worry about me.”

Kakashi can see through the lie, but for once he doesn't press, and simply motions to the empty space on the bed next to him, “We can sit in silence if you'd like too.”

“I'm really okay, Kakashi,” Obito tries to protest, “You don't need to be here if you don't want to be.”

“I know.”

Obito meets his former rival's eyes. He's not sure what he sees in Kakashi's expression that makes him move his battered body towards him. When he sinks down next to him, Kakashi wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls Obito close as gently as he can. By the time his head is touching Kakashi's chest, Obito is sobbing.

~

Things are different after that. Obito still doesn't ever bring up his father to Kakashi, but he does sometimes answer Kakashi's knocking right after his father's beatings, if only to have a shoulder to cry on. Obito doesn't feel as if he needs to hide of the marks on his body from his team anymore, and he occasionally lets Rin heal a bruise or two. Its liberating, not having to cover up all that pain. But his highs are still usually brought down by his father, night after night.

At least until Minato knocks on his door one night, thrusting a suitcase at Obito and telling him to pack everything he owns. Obito does so as quickly as he can, thinking he's going on a long mission for the first time. When Minato leads him to Kakashi's house instead of Konaha's gates, he gets nervous. 

“What's going on?” He asks Minato.

“I thought maybe it'd be healthier if you and Kakashi lived together,” Minato says cheerfully as he rings the doorbell, “He needs someone to make sure he doesn't train himself to death and you need...a change of pace.”

Obito gapes at him, almost protests before realizing that it'd probably be best not to talk about the real reason he's here.

Rin answers the door, smiling and explaining how shes going to help Obito get settled in, that she's moved all of Kakashi's things from the guest room and its really roomy and nice there, that she thinks Kakashi is secretly excited about this. Obito tries not to cry as she talks, showing him to where Kakashi stands grimacing over a pot of ramen in the kitchen. 

Minato laughs at the sight, “I ask to have a team dinner at your house and you make ramen?”

Kakashi looks almost embarrassed, and Obito finds himself smiling as the four of them sit around the table.

“Ramen is Obito's favorite, Sensei,” Rin points out in Kakashi's defense. Kakashi nods slightly in agreement.

“Ramen is everyone's favorite.” Obito grins as he helps himself to a heaping bowl. 

This time Kakashi shakes his head, “Not mine.”

Obito manages to laugh along with Rin and Minato around a mouthful of noodles and Kakashi tries, unsuccessfully, to fight down a smile in response.


End file.
